Industrial cooling towers are extensively used to efficiently dissipate large quantities of heat to the atmosphere in factories, chemical processing plants, hospitals, nuclear power plants and other facilities. Cooling towers commonly include multiple vertical posts on which grid panels are supported in vertically-spaced relationship to each other as a fill material for the tower. Each grid panel includes multiple grid openings through which heated water falls and cool air rises. Therefore, the grid panels provide a surface for exchange of heat from the falling water to the rising air so the cooled water can be used as a cooling medium in an industrial process, air conditioning system or the like.
In cooling tower applications, it may be desirable that the grid panels have large surface areas to maximize exchange of heat from the falling water to the rising air. Moreover, it may be desirable that grid panels have sufficient strength and stability to span large areas with minimal support to maximize the surface area which is available for heat exchange.
Accordingly, a grid panel which is suitable for use as a fill material in a cooling tower and is characterized by enhanced structural stability, efficiency and longevity and low operating and maintenance cost is desirable.